is my scale lying

RavenSimone90
RavenSimone90 Posts: 64
in Health and Weight Loss
OK so i weighed myself today on my personal scale and then i went to my doctors appointment. When they weighed me the number was a 8 pound difference. Should i believe my scale or is the one at the doctors office more efficient?

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    The one at the doctor's office is more accurate (but I'm also going to guess you were fully clothed?)
  • herangel3
    herangel3 Posts: 29 Member
    It depends on the time of day you weighed yourself on your scale at home and then at the doctor. They say your weight is most accurate if you weigh first thing in the am. Are you weighing with our without clothes, and how heavy were your clothes at the doctor. You can also ask the doctor when was the last time their scale was calibrated. I always notice a few pounds more at the doctor than my own scale, but 8 pounds is a lot of difference.
  • obum88
    obum88 Posts: 262 Member
    Scales are calibrated differently and will show some difference between them. Factor in time of day and how much water you have had at any point in the day and you could come up with a difference. The important part is the weight yourelf same time, same scale and under as the same circumstances as you can.
  • LastTenPoundsGodDamnYou
    LastTenPoundsGodDamnYou Posts: 101 Member
    I have a new scale and it weighs in at a pound less! Guess which one I am going with from now on :wink:
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    The doctors is more accurate but I would just stiick to your scale becuse it will be easier to track your progress on your own scale
  • katiejarr
    katiejarr Posts: 251 Member
    I have a Health O Meter scale and Ive had it for about 15 years, it was about $145 but it is very accurate. I always weight myself first thing in the morning, empty stomach, naked after going to the bathroom..always the same. Thats the only weight I count. If you weight yourself at different times of the day you will not weigh the same...and the scales at the Drs office won't be the same as the one at your house...trust the scale you always use or you will drive yourself crazy!!!
  • Mom2M_and_O
    Mom2M_and_O Posts: 214 Member
    I've always weighed more at the doctor than first thing in the morning at home. What kind of scale do you have? I have this scale and it's accurate -- as in I step on, then step off, then step on again holding some hand weights and it displays the correct weight. Even stepped on it holding a big box to ship and the box weighed in the same at the post office. The same company makes a great food scale, too.

    http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B001KXZ808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333573129&sr=8-1
  • ashlee2012
    ashlee2012 Posts: 34
    I definitely agree! I made the mistake of weighing myself a different time of day yesterday and almost cried. This morning I was right back where I should be :)
  • RavenSimone90
    RavenSimone90 Posts: 64
    I weighed myself around 8 am and my appointment was at 9. I know clothes and shoes add weight but 8 pounds? I didnt eat or drink anything between the times. I will just stick to the scale at home. Thanks guys
  • RavenSimone90
    RavenSimone90 Posts: 64
    Hey, that is the exact scale that i have lol. I brought it in 2010 so it's not old or broken because only i use it. I will just go with the weight that it says. Thanks
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    The last time I went to the doctor I weighed myself just before I left my house. When I weighed in at the doctor, it was only a few tenths of a pound off (my scale only recorded full pounds, no tenths)---I forget whether it was more or less.

    I recently purchased the Eatsmart Precision bathroom scales because I wanted to be able to measure in tenths of a pound when/if weight loss starts slowing down. It is consistently weighing about 1.5 pound higher than my old scale, which matched the doctor's scale. I'm debating returning the scale, but I don't know what i'd get instead. I really want to be able to measure smaller amounts than pounds to help encourage me when I start losing less than a pound a week.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
    Like others mentioned, there's a lot of factors (different time of the day, clothes/shoes, etc). If all variables were the same, then the doctor's scale is more likely to accurate since they usually get calibrated by technician routinely (well maybe only once a year, but that's once more than your scale at home).
  • Mom2M_and_O
    Mom2M_and_O Posts: 214 Member
    One note about the EatSmart scale is that it is most accurate on a hard level surface, and if you move it you need to recalibrate it. So, it wouldn't hurt to try that to see if you get different results.
  • katiejarr
    katiejarr Posts: 251 Member
    This is the scale Ive had sic=nce my daughter was born and she will be 21 in May
    So Ive had it longer than I thought :)

    I never move it and its on a level tile floor

    http://www.amazon.com/Health-Meter-Professional-Mechanical-Scale/dp/B000F63QI2/ref=sr_1_8?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1333681636&sr=1-8
  • LovelyLibra79
    LovelyLibra79 Posts: 569 Member
    It does depend on the time of day you weigh..but I am convinced that Doctor office scales are possessed!

Categories